Behind Echoes
by WielderofBlade
Summary: After a long day of work, Echo Hyde finds herself on top of a building, gazing below to the passing cars, about to jump. But, before that happens, someone tells her to stop. "There's an endless path to life, but it can all end in one push. You have to look Behind Echoes to find what you're searching for." (Steve/OC) First fanfic, please read & review. Please? More info in bio.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, here's a story i've been working on. It's my first Avengers fanfiction, so please review! :D**

I was done.

It was too much shit, too much work and it was soon going to be all over. My mother hated me for what I had become, my father was a jerk that left us before I could even say goodbye. Work was terrible, I sit in a damn cubicle all day long, waiting, watching, for something to happen.

For something extraordinary to happen.

But, it's come to the point where I'm done waiting. I'm 26 and I just can't do it anymore. Damn miracles don't exist. Uhg, why was I such an idiot? I waited so long for nothing.

I sighed and with a heavy heart, stepped up onto the pillar. If I leaned down I could see the bustling people and cars that went by. There were so many colors, so many sounds, so many smells that filled the city, just always there, and I hated it.

I hated it all.

I hated the world and what it had done to me, I hated the fact that I tried but I never would succeed.

I hated the feeling in my guts, I hated how I had no one to talk to.

I hated how people were so ignorant, so rude, so ruthless and unkind and uncaring.

I just really hated the world.

I clenched my fists and shut my eyes. I could do it. I could just end all the pain. All i needed to do was jump. It wouldn't affect me, it wouldn't affect anyone around me.

Leaning a bit forward, I peered down the streets once more. Just one more step and everything-

"-No! Don't do it!"

Startled, someone grabbed me by my waist and dragged me back, far, far away from the edge.

"Let me go! Let me go!" I screamed endlessly, struggling to get out of the grip. The man was strong, and he clutched me tighter, leading me away from the edge.

"Wait, wait, no let me help you!" The man said, letting go of the clutch.

"I don't need your help!" I shouted back, "This is harassment, rape, rape!"

"Really, ma'am this is better than jumping off the ledge!"

I paused.

Instead, I whimpered and sniffled and looked up to the man that had saved my life.

He smiled at me warmly, and we sat there for quite a long while.

We stared at each other for a long time.

I didn't know this man. No, not from anywhere. I never had seen him, and I was sure I never met him either.

But still, the warm smile and the bright blue eyes made me feel safe, like he knew what I was going through.

But, he didn't let me end my life. Why? It could've been all over.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, the man spoke.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I don't think I can allow you to do that," he said, as he ran his fingers through his blond hair.

Taken aback by his manners, all I could do was raise my eyebrows in astonishment. But, the man continued on.

"In fact, I don't care how gruesome your life is, but it will not end this way," he then stood up, helping me up as well. He brushed some dirt off my jacket and sighed.

"What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

I hesitated. I don't know why, I don't know if I was angry or relieved... I had planned on ending my life very quickly, easily, with no distractions. So why wasn't I angry that he stopped me from falling?

"Echo... Echo Hyde," I replied a bit later, searching his bright blue eyes that stared back at me.

He simply smiled at me again, and responded, "What a beautiful name. My name's Steve, Steve Rogers."


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh, geez these chapters are so short D: I promise they'll be longer as I get further into the story.**

**Here's chapterrrrr 2!**

"Ending your own life doesn't make the fight over, it just lets your enemy know that you gave up on the fight," said Steve, who was walking alongside me. I was going home, when he offered to walk me there. I turned down his offer.

But, of course, he said that he wasn't offering, and reminded me that he couldn't let me try to kill myself again. I didn't mind, I just didn't want the kind man to get into my messed up life.

So I guess I just left him wandering behind me until he managed to start a conversation.

"Steve, you really don't have to follow me home..."

"...Nonsense! I want to make sure you don't feel down, I'm here for you, Echo."

Pausing at his words, I turned around and smiled, smiled after a very long time of frowning.

"Thanks, Steve. Really, for everything. But... I still don't think you can change my mind of how I look at the world. There's been too much crap in my life for you to understand."

Steve, cocking his head, looking at me curiously.

"You don't know a thing about me, how do you assume I'm not depressed as well? Or rather, was depressed before?"

It did make sense.. I didn't know the man, only that he spoke eloquently and actually acted like a gentlemen. But, even if you put that fact aside I still liked him. I liked how he held himself.

"Echo, would you like to become my friend?" Steve asked, a little blush creeping on his cheeks.

It was a childish question, really, but it also meant something to me. I didn't really have a friend, not my mother, not my co-workers and the last time I did have a friend was before I had dropped out of college, which was more than three years ago. In fact, that particular person died in a car crash after confessing their undying love for me.

Just kidding.

But yes, he did pass away when a drunk driver had crashed his car.

Well, that was certainly the last time I would have any friends. Even if they don't intend to, they leave you with a hole in your heart.

"Echo..?" Steve said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I looked back up to him, remembering his previous question.

I let out a sigh, answering,"Steve... You don't want to be my friend, especially not now. I'm just an emotional wreck, it'll be terrible."

His handsome smile then turned into a frown, and we continued walking and talking.

"I wasn't meaning to ask you, I'm still your friend, okay?" He then said, the frown turning into a grin. I just laughed.

"Yeah.. Okay whatever. But I've only just met you today, Steve," I said, looking up to my house. No, that was wrong, this wasn't home. My mother wasn't even a mother, bringing in men every weekend and kicking me out.

But it was the only place I had.

"Well then, we'll get to know each other! Stop by my.. Uh, house tomorrow if you're free at 8, okay?" Steve grinned, taking out a notepad and scribbling down the address.

He handed it to me, grinning. As I lowered my head to read the address my eyes widened.

I looked back up, my mouth wide opened about to ask him if he was a famous person I didn't know of, when Steve was no where in sight.

Clutching on the piece of paper, I entered my house and skipped upstairs, thinking, wondering...

Who did I just meet?


	3. Chapter 3

There I was, facing Stark Tower feeling like a fool. It was a chilly evening, but one of those chilly evenings where you knew it was going to rain soon.

I didn't go to work that day, nope. In fact, I left the house and made my way to Barnes and Nobles, spending the day there while reading books and discovering new worlds.

Coffee was my life.

It was around seven o'clock, when I pressed the button and some british guy asked me what I needed.

"Um, I'm here to see Mr. Rogers? Steve Rogers? Does he live here?" If I had known any better, this was the infamous Tony Stark's tower that I was facing, the genius millionaire famous because of his suits of iron he flew around in. If Steve lived here, he would be not only handsome but rich, famous, and may be a bit arrogant too.

I wasn't much of a fan of Tony Stark. Well, I didn't really respect him. But after he announced he was dating Pepper Potts, who was the only woman who could handle Stark, and after the New York incident... Well, I had managed to build some respect for the man.

"Just one moment, please..." The voice said.

About 2 minutes later, Steve was at the door, grinning as he exited the tower.

"You live in the Stark Tower?" I asked him, bewildered.

Steve kind of chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck and nodding.

"Uh, yeah... I'm friends with Tony, he offered to let me stay until I got used to the world," replied Steve. He pursed his lips, looking up at me.

Still I was a bit confused by the fact that he lived in Stark Tower, but by the look on his face I could tell he didn't want to talk about it. So instead, I dropped the subject.

"So," he started, "Where do you want to go?"

"How about Starbucks? It's just a block away from here," I , I was excited. If it was one thing I loved, it was Starbucks.

"Um, sure... But I don't know the way so you'll have to lead me," Steve told me sheepishly. I laughed, and we started walking.

It was a warm, sunny day. The breeze was perfect, the time of the day was perfect, and the man sitting across me drinking coffee was perfect. It was safe to say that I felt completely content with the mood.

"So where do you work?" I asked Steve, who took a sip of his coffee.

"Um, I'm an agent of Shield," he replied, straightening his back.

"Shield?" I asked, confused. I never heard of a job named 'sheild' before. especially not here, in Malibu.

"No, SHIELD. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. You haven't heard of SHIELD?" Steve raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, wait, yeah I know what you mean.. But don't they like... travel everywhere or something? Not stay in one place?"

"I'm on vacation. That's why I'm living in the Stark Tower."

Well, at least everything made sense now. I nodded in understanding.

"So, did you hear about the New York thing? It happened like, last week. Crazy stuff," I said, sitting back in the chair. God, it was so comfy.

Steve darted his eyes and bit his lip.

"Uh, yeah, I did. Ha-ha, I couldn't believe they were saying that aliens exist..." He trailed off.

"Really? I feel like I can believe in anything after the whole hammer thing in Mexico. They say that the same God that was down there was in the fight in New York, and his brother was the one leading the army!" I said, getting into the topic a bit more. It was one of my favorite topics, I always liked the sci-fi stuff. The world was changing right beneath our feet and we're finally noticing it.

"Yeah, it's true. Thor actually frightened me a bit, but I don't consider him a God. There's only one God, ma'am, and he certainly does not wear a cape in public," Steve grinned, taking a sip from his coffee.

"Thor? Like the God of Thunder?" I asked. I didn't know much about the whole Thor situation, but there was a lot Steve knew about the incident that I didn't.

"Um, yeah, Thor. He's the one with the hammer," Steve explained, setting down his coffee. Then I thought for a second.

"Thor, the one with the hammer. Tony, the one with the Iron Man suit. The Black Widow, the ones with the gadgets and guns along with Hawkeye, the arrow guy. Then there's Captain America, the one that came back from the dead, with the shield. Then finally, Hulk, the green rage monster. That makes up the..."

"...The Avengers," Steve finished, "You've done your research."

"Yeah, I love The Avengers, they're so cool, with their powers and all," I grinned. It was true, I always loved thing out of the ordinary.

"Really? we're that cool?" Steve asked, leaning forward.

"Yeah, you sure- wait, 'we're'?" I squinted my eyes at Steve. What did he mean as in 'we're'?

"I- I mean, like, them, they're that cool? I mean, they're swell and all..." Steve grinned sheepishly.

"Haha, yeah sure, they're 'swell'. I swear I haven't heard that word in a while," I laughed, checking the time on the phone.

It was 8:32, and it was getting dark outside. I was having thoughts of leaving, but I was having too much fun with Steve and didn't want to go back to my mum's house. She probably had another man to keep her company, anyways.

But, it was different for Steve.

"Hey, it's actually getting late. I'll have to go soon, Tony told me that he was 'gunna lock the tower before nine," Steve said, "And I kinda forgot to bring the keys." I smiled, shaking my head.

"Maybe we can do this again sometime," I said, getting up. he got up as well, throwing out my coffee in the trash can behind me.

"Yeah, sure, how about next Friday?" He asked.

"That's sounds good. I'll give you my number," I said, taking out a pen in my pocket. Steve gave me his arm, and I uncapped the pen and scribbled down my number.

What I did notice was the scars on his arm, and when i stopped to look at it, Steve quickly pulled down his sleeve.

"So, do you want me to walk you home?" He asked me, lending a hand. Still staring at him, all I could do was simply nod.

* * *

**Don't worry, the only one suicidal here is Echo. The scars are only from Steve fighting the Chitauri. Please review? :)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, here we are again," Steve said, digging his hands in his pockets and grinning at me. I grinned back, thanking him and making my way to the porch.

That was when I heard a crash.

"You son of a bitch!" I heard my mother scream from the house, and then a sound of glass breaking. There were many footsteps, and yelling. I shut my eyes and gulped.

With my heart beating wildly, I turned back around, where Steve was still standing. He held a calm expression, but him and I both were thinking the same thing.

"I can't stay there, she's gone insane again," I said, quickly climbing down the steps of the porch so she wouldn't see me.

Steve paused.

"Well, you can come to the Stark Tower, I'm sure Tony wont mind...but won't your mother be worried?" Steve asked. All I could do was look down.

"She doesn't even remember that she has a daughter, Steve. It's not like she'll realize i'm gone," I explained, rubbing my temple. It was too much to handle, and I didn't want to explain, and I certainly didn't want to get hit again.

"She's insane, she hallucinates and assumes things..." As I continued on, we started walking back to the Stark Tower, which wasn't too far from my house.

"Is it like... a mental thing or a disease? If you don't mind me asking?" Asked Steve.

"I don't mind. Everyone thinks she's an alcoholic but she's not really. She's just insane, yeah, it's like a mental thing," I tried to explain, although it was much too hard. I didn't want to tell Steve the truth, because I was afraid he'd run away.

"I'm sorry about that.. There's not anything I could do, is there?"

I stopped walking for a second. Nothing. Nothing I could do to get out of the hellhole, where she abuses me and lies to me. I can't do anything about because of the damn contract I signed.

But that was to save my little brother.

"...No."

"JARVIS? Mind opening the door?"

"Of course, Mr. Rogers," said the same British guy earlier.

"Who's Jarvis?" I asked Steve, as we entered the lobby.

"JARVIS, Just a Rather Very Intelligent System, named after Edwin Jarvis, who was close to Tony when he was a kid. He's an Artificial Intelligence," explained Steve, who pressed the button for the elevator.

An Artificial Intelligence? Okay, just grin and act like you know what that is, Echo.

"He's a butler so there's always a voice, but also no body," said Steve, when he saw the confused look on my face. We entered the elevator.

"Wait, Tony made that? Wow, that's crazy," I said, impressed. I knew that Tony Stark was a genius, but he always seemed to surprise me.

The elevator kept going up, and I stared at it with wide eyes. How many floors did this tower have?

"Yeah, sometimes Tony doesn't even seem human. But then again, he gets that after his father, Howard. Although i've always like Howard more than Tony. He wasn't as... Uncomfortable."

I paused, then. Last time I checked, Howard Stark was dead, for a very long time too. How did Steve know him?

"Uh, Steve, if Howard has been dead for quite a while," I told him, looking up to meet his eyes. I could tell he was sweating a bit, but just as he was about to reply, the elevator door opened.

"Well, look at that, we're here. Let me introduce you to my friends," said Steve, guiding me out the elevator and into the movie room.

Apparently, every Friday, Steve, Tony, and some of his other friends had turns picking out what movie to watch. None of them could interfere with their choice, because they had different jobs like making the popcorn or getting the drinks.

As we passed the kitchen; which was huge, might I say, and the Living Room; which was luxurious, Steve explained who each one of his friends were.

"...and then there's Bruce, who's really the only nice one and, oh, he's a scientist, but don't get him angry..."

I wasn't really paying much attention, because I was ogling at the house. It was so much more beautiful inside than outside.

"Here we are!"

My attention was back on Steve, who was holding the door for me. I smiled and stepped inside the movie room, which still had it's lights on.

There were 5 other guys. Wait, never mind, one was a girl. Another man with blond hair sat in the front row, holding two discs, rubbing his chin while his eyes darted from one disc to the other. The woman was standing by the microwave, with Tony chatting besides her. A golden-colored hair man sat in the front, eating chips. The man with the glasses, who was holding two drinks was the first one that noticed Steve and I standing there by the door way.

"Hey Steve! Who've you brought with us?" The man asked, looking over to me.

"Bruce! This is Echo. Echo, Bruce." Steve said in recognition.

"Hi," I said, "I'm a bit new here."

Bruce smiled at me and said, "It's okay, I only moved in here 3 weeks ago."

Steve was called by Tony, who needed help setting up the projector. So, I offered to help Bruce with the drinks.

"Thanks a bunch," he said, "I hate this job. Everyone does."

"Why's that?"

"They drink so much during the movie, it's unbelievable. I have to get so many out when it's my turn for the drinks," replied Bruce, who grabbed the icebox and started walking over to the front. I grabbed one as well, following him.

"You don't drink?" I asked when we got to the front, placing the icebox down and massaging my arm. Geez, those things were heavy!

Bruce grimaced before he answered, "Nah, drinking was never my thing. I had a bad past with it."

I nodded in understanding. I never really had an alcohol problem, not with my mother nor father. But, I knew many people that did.

"Legolas, you figured out what movie we're watching?" I heard Tony ask the blond guy, who was a few seats away from us.

"I still can't decide over 'The Terminator' or 'Insidious'," replied the blond guy.

"Uhg, no, Insidious has a terrible ending, go with 'The Terminator'," The woman said, walking over to the blond guy.

"I do not understand why you would name such a movie 'The Terminator'," The one eating chips said.

"Guys," Steve said, trying to get everyone's attention. Although, he wasn't doing the best at it.

"The guy goes around and kills people, Thor," The blonde said.

"Guys!"

"Why would you make such a movie about that?"

"I don't know, to keep the watchers intrigued?"

"Uhh guys!"

"I get Thor'a point, why is it so entertaining to watch a guy kill other guys?"

"Guys!" Steve said in frustration, "We have a guest, can I introduce her?"

All eyes then landed on me, and just then I felt like a zoo exhibit. A blush crept on my cheeks.

"Finally! Guys, this is Echo Hyde. Echo, this is Tony, Natasha, Clint, and er... Thor," he explained, pointing at the four people who were arguing.

"Thank god!" Said Clint. "Let the guest decide what movie we're watching!" He grinned, running over to me and handing me the two discs.

"Er..."

Tony then grinned, walking over to Steve, patting him on the back.

"I knew getting back to the world would be easy to you! You already have a girlfriend!"

Steve blushed.

"N-no, no, we're not.. Uh...er... I-I mean..." Steve stuttered, red as a tomato. Tony laughed, though, and so did everyone else. Well, except Thor, who was much too interested in the bag of chips he was holding.

"I'm just joking, Steve. Nice to meet you, Echo," Tony said, reaching out to give me a handshake.

I reached to shake it, but then Tony moved it behind my arm, which really then confused me. He let out a howl of laughter then.

I stared.

"Geez, you're such a child, Tony," said a woman as she entered the movie room. I immediately recognized her as Pepper Potts, the CEO of Stark Industries.

"That's why you love me!" Said Tony as he grinned up at her. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Hi, Echo, i'm Pepper," she said, looking over at me and giving me a proper handshake. I grinned a little.

"Yeah, I know," I said.

"Lady Hyde! What a pleasure to meet friend Steve's new lady-friend!" Said Thor, jumping up and giving me a bear hug.

"Uh.. Just Echo is good. Wait, are you THE Thor? Like, the God of Thunder?" I asked when he released me.

"Certainly Lady Hyde!" He replied, giving me a wide grin.

"Hey! I'm THE Iron Man, you know!" Tony said somewhere in the back. I wasn't too interested in him though, I was more interested in the God that was standing in front of me.

"The one with the hammer," Steve finished for me, standing by my side.

I stared at him.

"You didn't tell me you were friends with Thor!"

"He didn't tell you that he was friends with Iron Man either!" Tony said, pouting.

We all ignored him and Steve grinned at me sheepishly.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," was all he could say.

Meanwhile, Clint and Natasha were ready-ing the movie, which seemed to be 'Insidious'. Bruce watched in amusement, along with Pepper.

"I think she'll fit in just fine," Natasha said, smiling as she connected the cord into the projector.

"Agreed," Clint said as he handed her the popcorn.

"JARVIS?" Tony said, "Shut the lights?"

"Of course, sir."

Steve grinned as he seated next to me.

"Movie time."

**Hey guys!  
So, longer chapter, yay! :)**

Thanks to all who followed & FAved, but please review? :D


	5. Chapter 5

I was warm, and really comfortable.

I snuggled up against someone's arm, who was leaning against me.

Yawning, I opened my eyes to find myself in the movie room from last night. I assumed I fell asleep in the middle of the movie. All i knew about it was that it was some horror movie about some kid that could walk into a spirit world... Or something like that.

I let go of Steve's arm, very slowly and quietly to be sure not to wake him. He seemed so peaceful as he slept. I smiled. I wasn't too happy, but i was content. I was okay, and I didn't feel like hurting myself. All thanks to Steve.

I made my way over to the bathroom, washing up before I made my way down to the kitchen. Or... What I thought where the kitchen was.

Instead, I was in the living room. I cursed at my clumsiness of remembering.

"Echo?" I heard a whisper behind me. I turned around to see Clint holding a spatula in his hand.

"Mind helping me?"

I thanked Clint in my head and nonchalantly said, "Sure."

Now, over the past years I had to teach myself how to cook because most of the time my mother wouldn't even be in the house in the morning, so I was a fairly good cook.

But it was a bit different for Clint.

As we stood in the kitchen, he explained to me that they all had jobs, and every week they would change the job. He had the cooking job. Clint was a terrible cook, and he needed my help. I didn't really understand how someone could burn a waffle, but apparently Clint just couldn't... Cook.

"Nat's always hating how she has to be the one that cooks. She says that I should at least learn, and i've tried. I guess youtube hasn't been a good teacher," he laughed.

I smiled.

"So, how long have you two been together?" I asked him. Clint looked at me with wide eyes.

"N-no, me and 'Tasha? We've just been partners in SHIELD, just for a very long time. We're just friends, nothing more," Clint said, laughing again. But, I could see it in his eyes. He wanted it to be more, there was just something that was keeping it from happening.

"Oh, haha, sorry. I just, assumed, the way you talked about her...So, uh, how's SHIELD? Isn't it like really tiresome?" I asked, changing the subject.

Clint nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not aloud to talk about it," he said.

I just nodded, making a mental note to not ask about SHIELD to Steve.

I liked Clint, he was very friendly. I guess that's because he's Steve's friend, who was very lovely.

"So, how did you and Steve meet?" Clint asked, taking out four eggs.

I hesitated. Oh, geez, he was going to freak out. I sighed, knowing that lying to Clint wasn't going to get me anywhere.

"I... I was going to end my life when...when Steve saved me," I replied simply. I didn't want to get into further explanation.

But, surprisingly, Clint just nodded.

He obviously saw the uncomfortableness on my face.

"It's okay, Echo. I know plenty of people who've tried before, I wont think of you any different."

I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding out, and looked over to Clint gratefully.

"You know other people? I-I didn't really know anyone... Who, you know, tried..." I said, breaking an egg into a bowl.

"Banner's tried it before," A new voice said, coming out of the shadows. It was Natasha, who came over with the newspaper and sat on the counter.

Clint furrowed his eyebrows. "Bruce tried it before?" He asked, tensing up a bit.

"Yeah," Natasha said, turning the page. "The other guy spit it out the bullet."

I wasn't sure who the 'other guy' was, but just knowing that Bruce tried to kill himself made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I dunno why, but just knowing that I met another person just the other day that tried to end their life as well, it didn't make me feel so different anymore.

I grimaced, adding the salt and other stuff to the egg, then pouring it on the frying pan. It made a sizzling noise, which made Clint jump.

Natasha laughed. "Barton, aren't you supposed to be cooking today?" She asked him, jumping off the counter and putting the newspaper aside.

Clint grinned sheepishly.

"Uh, yeah, but I was just getting a little bit of help..."

"I don't mind helping," I said, flipping the omelet over.

Natasha just face-palmed, telling me to not encourage Clint into asking other people to cook breakfast.

It was a bit later when the Natasha left for a short amount of time, but came back with a book. I peeked a look at the cover, and got that she was reading 'The Hobbit'.

"Hey, Echo?" Natasha started, getting comfortable in the chairs as she opened up the book. "Be nice to Steve, okay? He's been going through a lot."

I nodded, looking over to Clint who was cracking another egg open.

"Uh... If you don't mind me asking, what happened? He kind of always seems to dwell in the past," I said, taking the omelet out of the frying pan and placing it on the plate.

Just then, Tony entered in with a big grin, skipping and taking the omelet that I just finished making and sitting down next to Natasha.

"May be another time, Echo," I heard Clint whisper to me. I nodded, finishing making the next omelet.

"She cooks too! Wow, Steve's caught a good one. I sure hope your relationship ends well with him," Tony said, winking at me. I blushed.

"Tony, we're not dating," I told him, flipping the omelet over.

"Yeah, I know, but you practically are," he said, taking a bite out of the omelet. Then he smiled.

"This is really, really good..." He said, taking another bite.

"Oi, hand me one," Natasha told Clint, who rolled his eyes.

"You know, may be a 'please' could help."

"Seriously Barton? I don't have to say please to make you give me one."

"Yeah ri- hey! W-what's that supposed to mean?!"

I chuckled a bit to myself when I saw Clint eventually give Natasha the omelet. By the time that happened, Thor, Steve, and Bruce were already by the dining table devouring the omelet.

"This is delicious!" Bellowed Thor, who took one sip of coffee every time he took on bite of the omelet.

"Um, thanks," I said, smiling sheepishly.

The others nodded in their approval, and I grinned.

"She should just live with us, she's the only one who knows how to cook anyways," Tony said. I laughed.

"Yeah, that would be great. Let me just move out of my mum's house..."

"You know, we could do it," Steve said out of the blue. His gaze hovered over at me.

"You could stay here, there are plenty of rooms, right, Tony?"

Tony nodded, "Yeah, and Pepper could use the company. Natasha's always gone so she's the only female around."

"Wait, really?" I asked, putting down my fork.

"Yeah, it would be cool," Tony said, nodding.

I grinned, thinking about if for a moment.

"Is it okay if I hold onto that thought for a while?"

The day didn't really consist of anything, then. I got fired from work, I went home, mum wasn't home, I went to sleep.

I woke up several hours later, taking a shower and finding my mother's limp body sprawled across the couch. She was sleeping, but I had to wake her up for dinner.

"Where did you go last night?" She asked, twirling her fork around in the plate.

"I went over a friend's house," i simply replied.

She grinned darkly, "You don't have any friends."

"This one doesn't know about you," I said behind my clenched teeth, sitting across from her.

"Well, he will eventually. You can't hide anything from me."

My mother, June Covington, wasn't my real mum. My father had an affair, and then that woman had me. I don't know who she was, but I didn't bother finding out because she didn't want me. All I knew was that her last name was 'Hyde'.

June, though, was the mother of my brother, Harry, who was only a teenager. He lived with my father, who was in New York, since June was unstable to take care of Harry.

But me and June both know that my father isn't stable either.

When I signed the contract, June signed the contract too, promising to never communicate with Harry. I get why my father didn't want June to see Harry, but I didn't know why I couldn't. Instead I was stuck here with her.

But, just to ensure Harry's safety I signed it.

June used to use other people as lab experiments, trying to fix birth defects, but failed. When the police caught her, she was put into jail.

I dunno how, but she escaped. She was a fugitive. Since I knew all about this, June tried to keep me away from people, scaring them away. That's why I didn't have anyone.

I would try to run away, or escape somehow but It's too risky. June was a doctor, and she did something to herself, and she would use that power against me.

I didn't trust her, she didn't trust me.

"How do you know it's a man this time?" I asked her when I realized she said 'he'.

Cracking her neck, she said, "Because I watch you everywhere you go, my little Echo."

I couldn't stand her. I couldn't say anything, either. I clenched my teeth, taking a hesitant bite out of my macaroni. I remembered how I got fired from work today, and thinking of all the possible ways to inform June of my unemployment, I picked the worse one.

"I got fired from work."

Wow, that was such a great way to tell her. Hooray! I was going to die.

She didn't hesitate to be angry. Raged burned in my mother's eyes. She stood up, slamming her fork down.

"You can't DO anything, can you? You're so useless, how are we supposed to get money? How are we going to pay the bills?!" The chair she was sitting on fell over, and tension rose in the house.

"May be you should get your OWN damn job! May be you should stop bringing in men every friday night!" I retorted back without thinking.

Just then, I realized what I had said. I was standing up too, without knowing it.

It happened so fast, and before I knew it, June was on top of me, chocking me and whispering something in my ear.

I struggled against her, having no air to breathe, and her nails dug into my skin.

June picked me up from my neck and threw me down. I crashed into the window, breaking some glass. Damn that woman had a grip.

"If you ever say that again," She said, walking over to me, "I will kill that blonde boy of yours."

With that, she spun around and exited the house, leaving me sprawled across the kitchen floor.

I touched the wound she made beside my neck, flinching at the pain. Damn it, she got me again. I had to learn to keep my mouth shut.

I lay there for quite a while, tears springing out of my eyes. God, I felt like a teenager. Why was I having these problems?

Eventually, I dragged myself off the floor and made my way to my room.

My room was my salvage. I did a lot of art, so my walls were covered with pieces I finished. One thing I hated was that there was no light in my room, so it was always so dull and dark.

I yearned to be back in the Stark Tower. It was more peaceful and friendly there. There were lights, there were nice people, there was great food, and there was no Covington.

I readied my bed, almost getting in, when I had a better idea.

I waited until my mother came back. When she did, she bought only a man, locking me inside my room.

It was fine, because I didn't intend on staying home anyways.

I looked over to the window and grabbed my rope, grinning as I climbed out of my room.

I felt like a teenager, escaping hell the old-fashioned way.

* * *

**So, who's Echo's father? I promise he'll be a big part of the story.. Please review! I want to know what you guys think of my story! :3**

**By the way, i'm more of an artist than a writer, so please check out my deviantart, . **


	6. Chapter 6

It was a cold night, and I cursed at myself for not bringing out a jacket.

I wasn't sure where to go, because I didn't want to go back to the Stark Tower and seem persistent. Or, if that was the right word.

Sighing, I turned around and started walking behind my house, into the woods and into The Gand.

The Gand was a place I liked to go to when I had to think. It calmed me down a lot. There was a river alongside my favorite flowers: lilacs. It seemed as if someone built it there on purpose.

Even though The Gand wasn't as beautiful at night, the sound of rushing water and the smell always seemed to keep my comfortable. The rushing river and I were so different, it was so free...

The first part I disliked about The Gand wasn't it itself, it was going to The Gand. I'd always have to sneak out of the house to make sure June wouldn't see me, because this was the number one place I knew that June didn't know of.

It was my second salvage.

The second part I disliked about The Gand was that I wasn't overly fond of the woods it was in. One time, I was running away from June a couple of days after the contract was signed. I ran behind the house, into the woods, and intended to get lost when I found The Gand. It calmed me down a bit, and so I made my way back home.

I don't know why I call it 'The Gand'. I guess it was just a name that came to my head when I thought of it.  
I had taken a class to learn French in my college before I dropped out, and 'Gand' was the French word for 'Ghent' which was a city in Belgium. I had always wanted to go there, because by the pictures it was so beautiful.

I sat on the biggest rock that I usually sit on, looking up and staring at the stars. They were twinkling in the night, and the water reflected from it.

I lay down on my back and stared at the moon. It wasn't a full moon, just a quarter. But, it was glowing as ever and you could make every tiny detail of the moon out.

It was just like you said: the skies hold more secrets than you imagine.

I assure you, people like us, us normal folks, would just pass by as the average American boy or girl. But, no one actually knows you, do they? They don't know what goes on in your head, how either messed up it is or how brilliant it is.

Everyone wears a mask.

It was a chilly night. During the day it had rained quite a bit, so I lay on the rock enjoying the smell. I could only hear a few crickets chirping, and the late summer breeze gave me goosebumps on my arms.

That's when I heard it.

That's when I heard the gun load, and felt someone point it at me.

Immediately, I got up, rising both of my hands.

I couldn't make out who it was in the dark holding the gun, only that it was a man.

"What are you doing here?" He urged, pointing the gun closer to me.

"I-I-I'm just h-here to relax, n-nothing more I swear!"

The man looked at me for quite a long while, then lowered the gun. I let out a huge breath of relief.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were after me," he said, putting the gun back into his pocket and sitting on the rock next to me.

As I got closer I could see that the man wasn't a man, and in fact was only a kid. A teenager, at the least. He had dark brown hair combed back, and dark eyes as well. Or, that's at least what I saw in the night.

Have you guessed who it was yet? Yep, it was you.

You didn't know who I was at the time, and I didn't know who you were either. But if I did know, I would certainly not have been so distant.

"It's okay, it's fine... I didn't think anyone else you of this place but me," I told you, and you looked at me suspiciously.

"Are you sure you're not one of my father's goons?" You asked, running a hand through your hair.

I shook my head and told you 'no', because it was true. Although, I had no idea what you were talking about.

We sat there for a couple of minutes, just appreciating out surroundings. The smell, the sight, and how it felt, it was all just so real.

"I'm new here," you said, "I didn't move in, i'm just staying at a hotel. My father's at a friend's house when I managed to escape."

I don't really know why you told me that, but I just absentmindedly nodded. I was playing around with a piece of grass and frankly, I was still afraid of the gun in your right pocket.

"I live in the house right in front of these woods." I said, twirling around a piece of grass between my fingers.

You didn't reply, you just nodded. I laid back down on the rock and stared at the moon, and so did you.

It was a cold, chilly night.

After a while you said that you had to get back to your father, or else he would send the whole of America after you. I laughed at that, telling you to not tell anyone of The Gand.

You were the only other person I remember that knew of The Gand, and i'd very much like to keep it that way.

After that, a couple of hours later, I made my way home as well, climbing back into my room.  
I was really tired that day. I mean; I had woken up to get lost in a huge tower, make breakfast for 6 great people, get fired from work, literally get chocked to death, and then get a gun pointed at me after I climbed out of a 3 story house. Yes, I was very exhausted.

The number one thing I regretted just that night was not catching your name. It could've made life so much easier, because after that night everything seemed to go wrong. It was just that one night where it wasn't at all so hard.

It was the next morning when I realized something very suspicious.

**Hey guys! So this chapter's a bit shorter than the other ones, and it's different too. 'You' will be in the story loads of times, and they will be very important. I think I kind of made it obvious who they are already, so can you guess in the reviews? Speaking of which, thank you for all the reviews and follows! **


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't until the next day when I realized something very suspicious.

When I woke up, I trudged into the bathroom and then skipped downstairs, (thank god the door was unlocked).

June wasn't home - thank god again, so I made my way over to the kitchen and started to get out the pancakes when I heard a knock on the door.

I was happy to find out that it was Steve, with his hands stuck in his pockets as he grinned at me.

"What's up?" He asked as I allowed him into my house.

"Not really anything, I'm just making breakfast," I replied, motioning toward the pancake mix.  
Steve looked at me curiously.

"It's 12:00."

Startled, I turned around to look at the big clock that hung in the living room. Steve was right, it was 12:00! Wouldn't I be late for- wait, never mind.

Remembering work, I had a great idea.

"Hey, Steve? Is there a job I can get in Stark Tower?" I asked.  
Steve thought for a bit, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I think so...did you get fired from your other job?" He asked. I nodded. Steve looked a me in pity.

"It wasn't that great, anyways," I said, reassuring him.

"Well, i'll ask Tony about the job. I'm sure there's- Hey, what happened to your neck?" Steve looked over to me, stepping closer to examine to wound that June had made the other night. I quickly swatted his hand out of the way, backing up.

"N-nothing, it's just... Nothing," I said, cover the wound with my hand.

Steve didn't seem to get what I was trying to say, though.  
"Echo, if there's anything, you can tell me. You know that, right? Who did that to you?"

He didn't seem to get the memo that I wanted to be left alone, and stepped closer again.

He reached for my hand, the one covering my neck, and slowly moved it away from my neck. I cursed at myself for letting him. Looking down, I let him thoroughly examine the wound.

"This was done by someone, someone did this to you," Steve finally said, his eyes meeting mine.

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. Because, there was nothing Steve could really do. June had her ways, and if I got Steve involved with the situation then he would be hurt too.

I would hate that, I really would.

I just shook my head, saying, "it's nothing, really Steve. Please, let it go, I really don't want to talk about it."

I was grateful when Steve understood, letting the subject go. It was obvious he suspected something, but I let it pass. I didn't blame him for suspecting.

For some reason, I always felt like June had cameras in the house. It was silly, but it made a bit sense. I had no idea how she knew about Steve, because I mever introduced him to her, let alone mention him. Well, not until last night at least.

But what made me scared was that she knew Steve was blonde, so she probably knew of his appearance as well. That wasn't good.

I knew June was planning something big. I didn't know what, but I knew it was something bad. She was a fugitive, police were after her, but that didn't mean she was going to keep a low profile.  
Like I said, June did something to herself. Something that changed her, and it was certainly not a good thing.

"Echo?" Steve said, earning my attention. I didn't notice that I was trailing my fingers across the nail marks, and immediately stopped.

"Sorry... What?" I asked, my full attention now towards Steve.

"I was talking about next Friday. Do you want to just get Chinese for the guys, and then come back to Stark Tower? We'll have another movie night. Maybe you can stay over and make breakfast again," he offered. I grinned.

"That sounds great! I'm not sure about the whole staying over part, but it I like the idea. Chinese sounds great too," I replied. I couldn't help but be excited about next Friday. Even though it was Sunday, it felt so closer than it usually would be.

~~~

The next day I went over to Stark Tower, and Tony and I talked about the job. I was really surprised because Tony wasn't exactly making many sarcastic remarks.

"Well, we could use a cook. You're wondrous at that, and I'll pay you... Thirty a day?"

"How about fifty?"

"Fine, fifty. Fifty sounds good. So starting tomorrow, you're our personal cook," Tony grinned at me, and I grinned back.

"Steve told me that you really need this job. I'm willing to help you in anyway that you can. And you know, the moving in is all available too. Just be nice to Steve, okay?"

I nodded at him, growing slightly suspicious. What did Steve go through? Did he try to commit suicide as well? Or was it PDS?

I didn't want to ask, because it might have been a stressful topic for Steve, but I couldn't help being curious.

"It's a deal," I said, shaking on it. I was glad that I at least had a job. That was good, that was going to get me somewhere. At least mother would be content with the fact that I got another job.

Apparently, Steve was out for a run while I talked about the job with Tony, because right when I opened the door of the Stark Tower, Steve was standing there drained in sweat.

"Echo! I didn't know you passed by!" He said, wiling his forehead. I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I just came back from talking about that job. I got it, by the way. I'm your new cook," I said. Steve was rather happy with it. He grinned giving me a nasty, yet comforting hug. I laughed.

"Thanks a bunch, Steve. You really have helped me, I don't know how much more to thank you. You and Tony both, really," I said when he finally let go of me.

"It's no problem, like I said, I'm here for you."

~~~

Later that day, when I informed June of my latest employment, she was happy with me. It was weird how our relationship worked. Sometimes, I hated her so much. Other times, I was content with her.

Most times, I don't want to be involved with her.

I touched the wound on the side of my neck, flinching. Sighing to myself, I knew i had to put something on it before it became worse.

When I bandaged myself up, I jumped into my pajamas and onto my bed, the sounds of crickets chirping lulling me into sleep.

* * *

**Hey guys! So the next chapter's going to be really long and really intense, so stay tuned! And review, please? For me? Or rather, for Echo? :D**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

On Thursday, a perfectly sunny day with a slight breeze, was when everything changed. Drastically.

When I came back from Stark Tower on Thursday night, June wasn't home. But, she was never home, right? So what was she doing?

Like an idiot I am, I skip into the house merrily. I had a good day, mostly because I got to spend time with Steve since I had a job where he lived.

I had found out the Bruce, Thor, Natasha, Clint, and Steve all lived in the Stark Tower. Whether it was for vacation or not.

Anyways, that wasn't entirely the point.

When I jumped into the shower, I heard a noise. Not a slight, quiet noise but rather a loud, obnoxious noise.

Forgetting that June wasn't home, I let it go and finished taking a shower, getting dressed and getting ready for bed.

That's when it happened, so fast.

I felt a tug on my ankle, making me lose my balance and fall. The hand, the gloved hand, was dragging me from underneath my bed, and as much as I could hold onto the carpet, who ever was tugging me was stronger.

"AHH!" I screamed, trying to kick around my free foot. But, the more I struggled the harder it got to regain my own legs.

Then, another hand came out, grabbing my free ankle and finally capturing me.

Then black.

First, I felt something right below my ribcage. Not necessarily my stomach.

It was burning, and it hurt, a lot.

Second, I couldn't move. I was paralyzed. I knew that I wasn't tied by ropes, because I remembered that feeling. That was the feeling where you could actually FEEL your bones and muscles. But right then an there, I couldn't. There was no hope of moving.

Lastly, when I opened my eyes I finally figured out I was on a lab table, draped in white clothing.

The room was all grey, dim lights with no windows. I couldn't move my head, but I could at least hear. Not entirely, but enough to make sense of what was happening.

"...Malfunction...over-ride,"

"Can't we...kill...stupid girl?"

"No... Mr. Osborn... Alive..."

Then, a shadow came over me. Squinting my eyes, I saw a man with a blue mask covering his mouth. Obviously, a doctor.

My hearing then seemed to settle down a bit, and in moments I could hear clearly again.

"Doctor Englade...the girl, she's your-"

"-Yes, I am well aware of that. Although Osborn told me of not mentioning it."

The doctor hovering over me inspected me. We literally had a staring contest for five minutes.

Then finally, he asked, "What is your name?"

He had a british accent, which startled me for a moment. I couldn't talk, but at this point I was able to move my head from side to side.

I didn't reply. Obviously- I couldn't talk. Instead, I moved my head to the right to see my long brown hair sprawled underneath me.

I looked over back to the Doctor, my bright blue eyes meeting his dark green ones. He was still examining me, and started speaking again.

"My name is Doctor Denton. I am the apprentice of Doctor Englade. You can trust me, I am on your side."

Still, I couldn't move my mouth. It was as if someone super-glued my lips together on purpose, because they didn't want me to babble.

The man- Doctor Denton - helped me up off the bed. He lead me out of the grey, dim room (which was full of bewildered doctors) and into a large, white room.

It looked more of a bedroom.

There, another man stood. He had dark hair, strands of silver sticking out from the back, and dark skin as well.

"Sir, I've bought you the girl," Denton said, bowing and hastily exiting the room.

I got a bit frightened then, because then the man turned around to reveal his eyes. One was red, the other was blue.

"Ms. Hyde," he started, walking forward up to me.

"I am well aware of your past, and I am here to help."

Trust me, the man didn't look at all like he wasn't evil. His gaze flared over at me, literally screaming, 'Listen to me and accept me or I will burn you alive!'

I didn't realize that I was slowly backing away to the exit until my back hit the door frame. Looking behind me, I saw a dark hall flaming red every other second.

"I think you've already realized," he said, "that in this place we do test."

I shook my head.

"But, not entirely the tests of what you think..."

Then, the man shut his eyes, tensing up his muscles.

"...But rather...the ones that...TRANSFORM!"

With swish of red, the man grew a snout, and then, fur...

And then, he was a lion.

The man-lion ran up to me, pinning me on the floor. I struggled frantically, trying to get out of it's grasp.

"TRANSFORM!" It roared at me, opening it mouth to reveal his sharp teeth. Just as he was about to come down and bite, I punched the lion's face, rolling underneath him and quickly turning around to see the beast's furious gaze.

Let me tell you, I felt like a boss. Although... it wasn't exactly the best thing to do...

The lion-man... thing, (i'm not sure what to call it) roared in rage, running to me again.

By then, it felt like a wild goose chase.

I ran out the door, my heart beating rapidly in my chest as i took sharp turns through the red halls.

Opening doors, I could hear the click of nails following me. I got many suspicious looks from men in large lab coats, but I kept on running.

"Get her!" I lion-man thing screamed, stopping to turn around to the men in white lab coats, "She needs to transform!"

I'm not sure what happened to those guys, then, because I had entered a large red room (that place was just really red) which made me stop.

My heart, that was pounding all so rapidly, felt like it had just jumped into my throat.

There sat a large black... bowl, i guess you could say it. There it was, full of fire. On top of that, there was a ledge, holding squirming creatures. They moved from left to right, right to left, trying to escape the bonds that were holding them. No, they weren't just creatures, they were people.

My mouth shaped into an "O", and my heart beat literally stopped.

"Why won't you transform, my dear Echo?" I heard someone whisper behind me, their breath tickling the back of my neck. I paused. Transform? What did he want me to transform into?

"What do you mean...?" I asked hesitantly.

"The tests say...that when you are afraid, you will transform. So why haven't you?"

I just wasn't afraid.

"What will I transform into?" I asked, slowly turning around to see the man with two colored eyes. I smiled evilly.

"That you will find out once you've transformed."

Then, pain.

Lots and lots of pain in my head.

Dizzy, my knees feeling weak, I fell to the ground, my hand immediately raising up to my temple.

What was happening?

Then, black. Again.

* * *

**Uhg, I hated the outcome of this chapter. I was planning on making it longer, but it was just so hard to write. That why i literally took me 1341349095 days to update. Sorry. (actually it was just 3, but whatever).**

I promise that the next one will be eventful as well! A lot of Steve in the next one!


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